Restoring glory: Cobbs Creek Golf Course
The background
When Cobbs Creek Golf Course opened in 1916, it quickly earned a nationwide reputation as the best public course in the country. Moreover, it was open to everyone. Race and gender didn’t matter. If you were a golfer, Cobbs Creek was for you.
Cobbs Creek eventually went on to host the PGA Tour and welcomed renowned figures like Arnold Palmer, Bob Hope, Gene Sarazen, former boxer Joe Louis, and Charlie Sifford, who later became the first Black player to play, and win, the PGA tour.
But a lot has happened since 1916, and the years have taken a toll on the course. So, in 2018, the Cobbs Creek Foundation was created to restore Cobbs Creek to its original glory and begin a new chapter for the course, and the city of Philadelphia.
The challenge
When the Cobbs Creek Foundation was established, it set forth a bold, widespread mission to not only improve the physical state of the course and grounds, but to implement new youth programming that would provide young Philadelphians access to work, scholarship, mentoring, tutoring, and internship opportunities with corporate partners. It became clear that a bold, authentic narrative would be required to fulfill that mission.
Our challenge was a matter of balance – how do we ensure the Cobbs Creek story includes the Philadelphia community at-large, while being custom-tailored to potential donors to present a unique opportunity to be part of an exciting new chapter in Philadelphia’s legacy?
The approach
Realizing that time was of the essence, we worked quickly to build a brand strategy that would serve as the foundation for a comprehensive suite of new online and offline marketing materials including a website, 20-page booklet, tablet presentation, films, and stationary. We crafted the strategy in such a way that it reflected Cobbs Creek itself; each element was a standalone piece, like each hole on the course, but together formed a single, cohesive story.
The results
Like the course itself, this project is very much in progress. The CCF is planning a strong push for development, in the hopes of making Cobbs Creek a sustainable philanthropy campus. We look forward to what comes next and what this new chapter in the history of our hometown holds
The takeaway
Legends never fade.